Batteries are employed in many sectors of technology. A plurality of individual batteries may be combined so as to form a module. A plurality of modules may furthermore be joined together so as to form a so-called battery pack. High-performance batteries, for example high-voltage batteries, are created in this manner.
The battery cells are usually implemented so as to be rectangular or cuboid. In order to ensure improved manageability and in order to provide as large an amount of energy as possible in as small a volume as possible, the rectangular battery cells are restrained or prestressed so as to form modules. Furthermore, restraining contributes to an increase in the lifespan of the batteries.
In order to restrain or prestress the batteries in relation to one another, an elastic element is required here in the chain of the distribution of forces, for example in order to compensate for tolerances of the individual battery cells or of the paintwork and insulation, for example. The battery cells here are usually placed beside one another. Subsequently, springs or pre-bent metal plates, respectively, are disposed on the outer sides, for example on the right and left. The metal plates act as leaf springs, for example, and are compressed up to a specific pre-tensioning force. In order to maintain the tension between the leaf springs, the leaf springs are connected to so-called pull plates, for example. In order to achieve a uniform distribution of compression across the battery cells, steel plates are inserted between the resilient metal plates and the battery cells. The pull plates are also usually made of steel, in order to distribute the high forces in a uniform manner.